Troubles continue following eatery's demise

Court records show that a fire-damaged Thibodaux restaurant got nearly $1 million from its insurance company, but Western Sizzlin's landlord alleges it's still owed rent.

Katie UrbaszewskiStaff Writer

Court records show that a fire-damaged Thibodaux restaurant got nearly $1 million from its insurance company, but Western Sizzlin's landlord alleges it's still owed rent.Western Sizzlin, 411 N. Canal Blvd., has been closed since May 2012 when two former employees set it on fire, leaving 60 other workers without jobs.Derek Hebert, 23, and Donavan Hoffpauir, 18, both of Thibodaux, were each convicted of arson and sentenced to five years in prison. The restaurant hasn't paid its monthly rent of nearly $6,000 since September, and landowner J.B. Levert Land Co. has filed suit in Lafourche Parish to rescind the restaurant's lease.Neither Western Sizzlin's owner, Jim Keller, nor his company's attorneys could be reached for comment, but both previously denied wrongdoing. Court documents say J.B. Levert suffered damages “caused by (its) own negligence or the negligence of third parties for which (we have) no control.”State Farm, which insured the restaurant, paid Western Sizzlin $964,568.79 for the damage, according to records filed by State Farm's lawyers. State Farm is suing Hebert and Hoffpauir to recover the $5,000 deductible, according to court documents. The two were to be served at their respective prisons. Hoffpauir is currently in the Dixon Correctional Institute in Jackson and Hebert is in the Claiborne Parish Detention Center in Homer, the lawsuit says.The pair set fire to the building using a cigarette lighter, setting off the sprinklers, Thibodaux Police said. The fire damaged the outside of the building and the sprinklers flooded the interior, causing part of the ceiling to cave.If J.B. Levert and Western Sizzlin cannot settle their differences out of court, and if a judge does rescind the lease, a new business will eventually take control of the land, Bellanger has said in the past.A pre-trial for that case is set for June 17.

Staff Writer Katie Urbaszewski can be reached at 448-7617 or katie.urbaszewski@dailycomet.com.